Talking Retail Grocery and product news for independent retailers
The Spar outlet in Leominster, Herefordshire, has become the first in the Blakemore Retail estate to be run by what the company is calling a ‘commission operator’.
The site is now being operated by MIH Traders, owned by Dasitha Gamage and Janaka Watowita, who have taken over from Blakemore Retail although the company still owns the store
Blakemore says it plans to develop more such sites in the future where the operators will be self-employed retailers who want to operate their own businesses supported by a partner
Retailer Dasitha Gamage said: “Blakemore’s new commission operator store model is a great opportunity for retailers like us who want independence but extensive backing from a big business.
Not only are we benefitting from the well-known Spar brand, a dedicated business development manager and training, marketing and supply chain support, but as a commission operator, we are also benefitting from Blakemore’s site investment.
“Blakemore has a flexible approach to working in partnership and has provided us with all the support we need to drive our business forward.”
Louis Drake, sales director of Blakemore Trade Partners, said: “We are delighted to be embarking on this new partnership with Dasitha and Janaka and working alongside them to grow and develop their business. The model will provide us with new opportunities to acquire sites that would not have fitted our previous trading models and therefore will bring us greater flexibility.
It means Blakemore now has three trading models for its Spar outlets – independent, commission operator and company owned. The company’s Spar estate consists of 277 company-owned stores and 689 independently run stores.
